Horrendous Disc

Rock and Religion Radio Show Jan. 20, 1980

Daniel Amos "Horrendous Disc" Part One

Rock and Religion Radio Show Jan. 20, 1980

Interviewed by Mary Neely

I Love You #19

Announcer: This is Rock And Religion brought to you each week in the Public interest. Rock And Religion brings you Horrendous Disc, the name of the latest album from Daniel Amos. A five piece group who have made a significant contribution in the catagory of music some would call Contemporary Christian.

I Love You #19

Mary Neeley: This is Rock and Religion with the group Daniel Amos, no one in the group has that name but uh...

Terry Taylor: I do.

Mary Neeley: You have that name?

Terry Taylor: No, I don't...

Mary Neeley: No, Terry Taylor... but they have all contributed creatively to the band.
Jerry which songs on this album did you write or were they all..

Jerry Chamberlain: Ahhhh... every single one of them. No, no, no... I wrote 'Man On The Moon' and I was also a co-author of 'Horrendous Disc,' the title song...

Jerry Chamberlain: I recorded everything, sang lead on everything, all the background vocals, played all the instruments... thank you very much.

Mary Neeley: Ha, ha, ha...

Jerry Chamberlain: No, just those, yeah the one song by myself and the one which I co-wrote with Terry and Mark.

Mary Neeley: Are you changing musically?

Terry Taylor: Yeah uh, Shotgun Angel was transitional. Sort of merging the country thing with the rock thing. And this... it's sort of avante guarde rock and without any kind of country music on it. And I know thats going to disappoint a lot of people but thats just how this whole album seemed to flow as we were recording it. We had considered including one of our most country songs it, 'Happily Married Man,' but it uh just didn't quite fit with what was happening on the album so we kept it as a separate recording. And this is definately more sort of in the pop rock vein.

Mary Neeley: The band Daniel Amos has rather a strange combination in live concert, your often times comic and funny. You do things on stage that are hilarious...

Terry Taylor: Oh, I know I just get a kick out of myself... (Laughter)

Mary Neeley: ...and in between you sing these very serious songs and/or songs with a message. Is that a strange combination?

Jerry Chamberlain: Well, actually we're serious all the time. I think people just laugh at us.

Terry Taylor: Ha, ha, ha, ha...

Jerry Chamberlain: No not really, I think we've...
(Laughter)
I think we've always kind of you know had...

Terry Taylor: How come you're answering? I am the spokesman of the group.
(Laughter)

Jerry Chamberlain: ...a kind of tinge of humor behind a lot of our lyrics you know there's a lot of things that were...

Terry Taylor: You're saying absolutely nothing. As a matter of fact, that's easy for you to say.

Jerry Chamberlain: ...with kind of humorous... Actually what we're doing is, we're saying serious things we just kind of mask them in humor. As Ed is rolling on the floor.

Mary Neeley: Is it because you really can't deal with your own sensitivity?

Jerry Chamberlain: uh... Terry?
(Laughter)
Go Terry go... take it.

Mary Neeley: Oh he's crying, would someone please give him a towel?

Terry Taylor: He's alright, what was it?
(Laughter)

"I Believe In You"

Terry Taylor: What we're presenting, you know some people say 'why don't you just present the Gospel without all the frills?' you know 'that should be your job, just present the Gospel and none of the frills.' But actually what we're doing is art, and we're artists. We're presenting something that is a total experience. In other words, that you see with your eyes, that you hear with your ears and we try and convey an excitement on stage and something that's going to capture the audience visually as well as the music that's playing. And the message that's being brought through the music, which is the Gospel. And so within that period of the concert we sort of change the moods, sometimes it's humorous, sometimes its very serious, but always with a serious point and always so that the total presentation results in a well rounded presentation of what it is to be a Christian, what it is to enjoy Christ, what it is to have a joy, what it is to be set free, and at liberty in Jesus Christ. And so that's the intent the band's trying to make through it's presentation.

Mary Neeley: Well it seems as though... it's like it's difficult to mix entertainment with a message and yet it's so you feel as though you have the liberty to have fun and be entertaining as well as have a serious message along with it.

Terry Taylor: We're definately entertaining and you know some people think that's a dirty word but people do come to be entertained as well as ministered to. And that's all part of it that's part of the presentation. There's that seriousness to it and then there's uh the entertainment aspects and that all has to do with art as well.

"Hound Of Heaven"

Mary Neeley: What do you think about music today?

Jerry Chamberlain: You know it's really funny, I see a lot of uh a lot of strange music happening - there's a lot of stuff that I just can't stand. I see a lot of music going to the dogs, you know, personally I think uh the whole disco thing was uh... (shk, shk, shk, shk) ...exactly! My sentiments exactly.

Ed McTaggert: Was? You mean it's gone now? (shk, shk, shk, shk)

Jerry Chamberlain: ...Well it still is kind of happening, I've heard that it's fading but it's still around.

Mary Neeley: It's still very much around.

Jerry Chamberlain: And, I think that shows where a lot of people are at musically speaking. I think there's a lot of interesting things happening too with new wave and power pop type of music that's happening that I find really exciting because it's getting back to a more creative period basically like the late and middle sixties. And I think thats combining some of the more bizarre things of the seventies. I think there's some promising things, things which are very inspiring to us as writers...

Mary Neeley: Something that keeps you going, you know where as if you had to do disco music you'd probably quit music.

Jerry Cahmberlain: Yeah well, I don't think we could you know, we'd rather become I don't know, toothpaste salesmen or something.

"(Near Sighted Girl With Approaching) Tidal Wave"

Jerry Chamberlain: Music has always had something to say, especially in the sixties with Dylan and everybody back then. Music has always had something to say about society, politically and the conditions in the world. And as we moved into the late seventies, it seemed like with the disco thing there's absolutely no content to any of the words except you know lets go out and have a good time. And with some of the newer groups - the quote 'new wave' groups - it's gotten back to some old sixties type things... simple lyrics about your girlfriend or whatever and it's a lot more appealing to me than what's gone through the disco era, the words mean more, they relate to people. And I would hope that with the tunes that we do we would be able to relate more to the human condition where people are at in their day to day lives, and try to sing about experiences we've had in our day to day lives instead of just kind of talking about nothing and just you know having a bass drum and a high hat and a guitar straight through the song and just tryin to play on their - I don't know what the word would be but ...the music, the drive of the beat or whatever... having people listen to that but rather listening to the lyrics like they used to.

Terry Taylor: We listen to a lot of music and so I think that as a group we've become a little more sensitive and I think with each album I think that's whats happening. We've gained more of a sensitivity to who is listening, you know what we're saying and who's listening and what they're listeing to. We listen to a lot of records we know what people are listening to, and what they're taking in and where they're sort of being lead. Because music is that powereful, it leads... those musicians are our heroes. It's no longer Davey Crocket and Kennedy...

Mary Neeley: War Heroes.

Terry Taylor: War Heroes. It's John Travolta or it's Elvis Costello, you know so we're sort of gaining insight into...

Mary Neeley: That's frightening isn't it?

Terry Taylor: Yes it is. Disco on down to oblivion or whatever. But we're trying to take in as much as we can and hear what's being said by the new artists that's why the new wave thing is very impressive to me becasue it seems to be very honest music. And it's a reflection of politcal, ideological...

Ed McTaggert: Ideology. That word...

Terry Taylor: Ideology. That word. And so I think if we have an understanding of what the average listener is listeing to, then we can address that music and that philosophy.

Mary Neeley: That's good.

Terry Taylor: I know I'm incredible...

Mary Neeley: Just take a deep breath...

Ed McTaggert: ...everything that you'd ever wanted to know about this band where we're going and what we do... It's amazing.

Terry Taylor: You're wrong camel breath.

Mary Neeley: Jerry has something to say...

"On The Line"

Announcer: You've been listening to Rock and Religion, this week or guests have been the group Daniel Amos. Featuring their latest album Horrendous Disc.

Announcer: Rock and Religion is brought to you each week in the public interest, if you would care to comment on this program please address your comments to this radio station or to Rock and Religion
3132 Bradshaw, Sacramento, California 95827. That's Rock and Religion 3132 Bradshaw, Sacramento, California 95827. Please include day, time and station on which you heard this broadcast. Rock and Religion was prerecorded.